Tag Archives: white peaches

I have been looking for an excuse to make this skillet cake since last summer. Graham crackers… peaches and blueberries… streusel topping… and baked in a cast iron skillet? Irresistible. I finally had to make it after having too many ripe peaches on the counter. 😉 What an excuse!

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Chicago chef Stephanie Izard. (I have loved her since she won Top Chef.) The cake is baked on the grill in the original recipe. Delicious!

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat all of the ingredients together at medium speed until crumbs form.

Press together to form a large mass.

Transfer to a bowl and break into clumps.

Refrigerate until chilled, about 15 minutes.

Prepare the Fruit:

Preheat an oven to 300° F, preferably on convection.

In a medium bowl, toss the peaches with the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch.

In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat.

Scrape the fruit and any juices into the skillet.

Make the Cake:

In a medium bowl, whisk both flours with the graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with both sugars and the honey at medium speed until fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the buttermilk, oil and vanilla.

Scrape down the side of the bowl and beat in the dry ingredients until just smooth.

Spread the batter in the skillet in an even layer.

Scatter the streusel evenly on top.

Place the skillet on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. (The cake is cooked off of the heat in a grill for the same amount of time in the original recipe.)

Let the cake cool for 1 hour. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.

“This jam tastes like PIE” I said. “It smells like a FARM STAND” my son said. Everyone else was too busy eating it to comment. 🙂

I had this recipe in my mind on our way to pick peaches. We went right for the white peach trees because they are my FAVORITE. The peaches were fabulous and ripe, practically falling off of the trees. This jam is terrific too. A great way to save the great summer flavor of a fresh peach. This recipe was adapted from the book Food in Jars via First Look Then Cook.

The first time I ever made jam it was with a friend and her family. I picked up a lot of tips to ease the process from that experience. When chopping the peaches and adding the multiple cups of sugar, I always keep track of how many cups I’ve added into the pot, one at a time. I don’t use a canner– I heat the jars in my pressure cooker (minus the lid) with the insert in place on the bottom of the pot as well as in my pasta pot with the strainer in place as well. Both inserts separate the glass jars from touching the bottom of the pot on high heat. The classic canning method is described below. I must admit that I don’t always process the jars in hot water after filling them with jam. After boiling the jars, I seal them using the “old school” method- inverting the jars for 5 minutes after filling them. After turning them right side up the seal needs to be checked carefully as the jam cools to make sure that this method has worked; the button on the lid must stay depressed. It’s been foolproof for me!

10 cups of peaches, peeled and chopped (approximately 13 to 14 large peaches)

Peel the peaches: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Set a bowl of ice water next to the pot. Wash the peaches well. Lightly score the bottom of each peach with an “x”. Using a bamboo strainer or slotted spoon, lower 4-5 peaches into the boiling water. Cook for 45 to 60 seconds. Remove the peaches with the strainer or slotted spoon and place into the ice water for 10 seconds. The skin should slide right off. Repeat as necessary.

Remove the peach pits and coarsely chop. Place in a food processor, about 5 peaches at a time, and pulse to chop but not puree. Repeat as necessary.

Fill your canning pot with water and begin to bring it to temperature. Wash your jars and rings in warm soapy water and set aside. Put your lids in a small pot of water and heat (but do not boil) in order to soften the sealing compound. (After washing, I put my jars in water, let it come to a boil, and then let them sit until ready to cool, drain, and prepare the jam.)

Add peaches and sugar to a large, non-reactive pot. (Count carefully!) Stir so that the peaches begin to release their juice and mingle with the sugar. Bring to a boil and add cinnamon, seeds from the vanilla bean, vanilla bean pod, lemon zest and juice and let jam continue to cook for about fifteen minutes. If the fruit hasn’t broken down much after that time is up, use a potato masher (taking care not to burn yourself with hot jam) to break down the chunks.

Remove the vanilla bean pod and then add pectin. Bring to a rolling boil for a full five minutes. (Check consistency- mine was still a little runny after 5 minutes and needed more time.)

Turn off the heat under the jam and fill jars. Wipe rims and apply lids. Screw on the bands and lower into the water. Process in the hot water bath 10 minutes. When time is up, remove from water and cool on the counter. (The alternate “old school” option is to invert the jars for 5 minutes.) When the jars are cooled, check the seal by pressing on the top of the jar. If there’s no movement, the jar has sealed. Store up to one year in a cool, dark place.